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Legacy is forgiveness; healing

The New Year begins with a somber mood, as the nation mourns the loss of former President Gerald Ford. I listened, read and watched more than a couple of hours of news coverage of the President’s life and of the funeral that took place in the Hall of Statues in the U.S. Capitol over the week-end. To listen to honorable men speak honorably about another honorable man was indeed a welcome change from the name-calling and blame game that has been going on atop that same Capitol Hill for months on end.

Many have called Ford the “Accidental President.” Having been appointed vice president by President Richard Nixon to replace Spiro Agnew, it is unlikely that the former congressman from Michigan had any inkling at the time that he would only serve as vice president for 7 months before taking another step up in that administration.

After Nixon resigned, Ford assumed the presidency for 2 1/2 years. He inherited an office in an administration plagued with scandal, war in the Middle East, economic woes and energy concerns. He did the unthinkable when he pardoned his predecessor, the man who most blamed for the plagues previously mentioned. Many historians will credit this act of forgiveness for President Ford’s loss in the 1976 presidential elections.

I was 11-years old when Gerald Ford became president. My interest in government and politics was not as well-tuned as it is today. At that age, I’m sure there were many things in my life that took precedence over what was happening in Washington, D.C. I’m sure many of you have a much clearer memory of the Watergate scandal and those years during the Vietnam War.

For years, when someone mentioned the name of the former President, my mind’s eye would picture a man in a plaid jacket stumbling onto a stage or down the stairs from an airplane. The national media had done a good job of portraying the man as a klutz. He didn’t seem “presidential” to me in that unreachable, elitist, condescending way that many political figures seemed. President Ford was the same age as my Grandpa. He was self-effacing, often surrounded by family, and dressed like more common people. He seemed like one of us.

I had not given the man or his legacy a great deal of thought until many years later. There are those who will say Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon out of friendship. There are those that will say by pardoning Nixon, justice could not be done. I believe that because Ford pardoned Nixon, our country was able to move forward. President Ford did not allow our country to spend the time, money and effort on vengeance. He did not put a band-aid on the problem. By pardoning Richard Nixon, President Ford focused the nation’s energy toward the future where we could do something constructive.

I certainly hope those in leadership positions today were listening and comprehending the significance and sacrifice associated with the one unselfish act that helped our country heal. President Ford cared more about his country than about his own popularity and advancement.

If generations remember you as the man who said “I forgive you,” I would have to think that is not a bad thing.

Happy New Year!